Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-05-27
JUVENILE RAT-CATCHERS.
Boys In Pennsylvania Mines who
Discount the pied Piper of Hamelin.

| IHt0UftyItd NcWS WIitt>' DONs arc
emplo, ed in various occupations in the
anthracite coal mines. A glance at the
payroll of any big company reveals
the fact how useful they are. Run
your eve down the column headed
Occupation" and every once in while
you see the word 'rat- catcher. As
this is as distinct feature of employ
ment as the driver. slate picker, door
tender and so on. it excites no particular
attention among those who understand
ii. The rat catcher is paid 80 cents a
day, and his special duty is to guard
the bins where the feed for the mules
is stored against the invasion of the ro-
dents The mine rat is as large as his
brother of the wharf. He sub
sists upon the refuse of the feed-troughs
and the crumbs that drop from the fru-
gal lunchcons of the miners. They in
habit all parts of the colliery and find
their way into the crevices far beyond
the each of the miner. They are use
full in one way, however. aud for This
re ason are fed and protected by many
who labor in the dark AMI dis
tant chambers of the subterranean
depths. The rat instinctiyely knows
where a crush from above is TO come,
and when miner sees him leaping
about him or hears them scampering
off along the gan.ways toward the
shaft he knows something is wrong
many instances on record where the
rats were the first to give warning of
danger from which men have fed in
safety and without which they might
have persisted.
Naturally the professional rat-catch-
er grows fond of his exciting pastime.
and, Ike the hunter. tries to bag all
the game he can. Recently a spirit of
enthusiasm broke out between several
rat-catchers employed in the Diamond
and Empire colieries. which was
kindled into a fame by the offer of a
prize of s. to the boy who would
slaughter the most rats in thirty days.
Rat Catcher Dick" little red-head-
ell fellow not over ten or a dozen Years
old, had long been recognized as the
champion. lie is employed in the En-
pire and had made a record of killing
800 rats in six days. This had never
been beaten. Indeed the only approx =
mate work had been done by "Blinky
Bill, twelve-year-old of the
ID amond, who had record of 27l.
When the pr ze was offered the BOYS
all set TO work with will. 1t was
stipulated that they were TO do the
work separately and una AIDED. Judges
were quietly appointed TO see that the
articles OF agreement were doue fairly
and carried out. During the progress
Of the slaughter Dick. of the En-
pre-. was the favorite in the pools,
"Blmky b H. selling second. There
were other lads IN the contest but it
was generally agreed that one of these
two would carry off the prize.
As the DAYS passed the miners got
deeply interested. Even certain sport
ing men in this city paid more or less
attention to the at-kllng contest, and
when the final weeks run was on every
gambler in town was backing one OF
the boys. News from the Diamond and
Empire was anxiously awaited in some
of.the saloons each night as to the count.
The reports were very conflicting. All
sorts of stories were set ahoat as TO the
record Of "Dick" and "B Il. Both
the lads kept their own mouths shut
close. Nobody could get a word out
of either, and nobody really knew what
each was doing. Even the watchers
were in the dark. The contest closed
on Monday night, and great crowds
flocked into several sporting places IN
town to hear the result. The judges
gave sworn testimony of the count.
The score for the the thirty days kill
ing stood as follows: Dick, 2,4l9; Bill,
1,956-an average of eighty rats day
, for Dick and sixty-five for Is II. Dick 5
I biggest week was the last. when he
killed no less than els rodents. A
careful estimate places the weight of
tie rats slaughtered by Dick at over
four tons. A purse was made up and
presented to "Blinky Bill. Dick 5
method, it is said, of catching tho rats
was by fixing barrels along the runways
and by setting lines with ba ted hoo KS
for them lie is proud of the cham
pionship. and another match Will be ar
ranged soon between the two boys.
The other lads who entered were
practically out of the race the first
week. The miners who won on little
Dick all ch pped in something for him
subsequently. and it is said he carried
home to his widowed mother last night
nearly 800.